It was a good day today. We had two very good crowds for the services. It seems like the message came across, but it wasn't without difficulty. I will be the first to admit that today's topic was not the most glamorous or popular. There probably aren't many Sunday's you wake up saying, "I can't wait to get to church today...I hope he is talking about fasting!" Maybe you do, but I highly doubt it...I sure don't. I did feel that I was preaching exactly what God wanted me to speak today. There is a difference between preaching what people want to hear and what God wants you to say. I felt today was a day that wasn't going to be fun to preach, but it was necessary to get people where God wants them.
Points to remember about today:
* the Cone Shell marine snail is one bad dude!
* Scriptural fasting is: abstaining from food or certain types of food for a period of time for spiritual purposes...sorry...fasting TV and XBox doesn't count
* Jesus mentioned fasting as part of the three chord group of things that people who follow God would do - when you give..., when you pray..., when you fast...(Matthew 6)
* The reason we don't fast is because of King Stomach and his rule in our lives
* We eat away the blessings of God
* fasting brings: things to the surface that control us, balance to our lives, healthier bodies, effectiveness in our prayer lives, guidance for decisions, and revelation
* primary purpose of fasting: acknowledging that God is our source of life, nourishment, and sustenance
* when we fast it is as if we were in continuous prayer
* desire to experience the Blesser more than the blessing
* If you want to discover more of God through fasting, just do it. Start slowly and progress how long you fast. There is never a convenient time to fast!!
NOTE:
Tomorrow I will lay out some details about the future of the Journey and our new campuses...invite someone to the blog to see it. Everyone else in the church will receive a letter on Tuesday or Wednesday describing those details. All I can say for now is: HOLD ON TIGHT...HERE WE GO!
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